


Darling, this is something I should have told you long ago

by DoomedTemperament



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Crushes, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Making Up, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 06:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomedTemperament/pseuds/DoomedTemperament
Summary: Of all of the schools Himuro could have transferred to, he had to pick Seirin- a decision that came back to bite him in the ass.--Entry for the KnB Discord AU Battle, Team Nacho Cheese. Genre: Swap, AU: Team Swap.





	Darling, this is something I should have told you long ago

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, this is an AU where Himuro and Kuroko have swapped places... but there's... not any mention of Kuroko I'M SORRY,,,
> 
> I was kind of iffy on writing this, but now that I'm done with it I'm actually sort of proud of it. Title is taken from "Pay no Mind" by Madeon (which I feel is a very good song that can relate to this fic.)
> 
> Apologies for any OOC-ness, I'm really not used to writing for Himuro, especially not from his POV.

Of all of the schools Himuro could have transferred to, he had to pick Seirin- a decision that came back to bite him in the ass.

His return to Japan had been abrupt- after his parents divorced, his father had decided that a return to his home country was the best course of action- _“A fresh start,” he had said, “Returning to your roots,” he had said._ Himuro had been obliged to return at the end of his sophomore year of high school in the states, which sucked- his friends were there, and he hadn’t been in Japan for over half a decade, so he had no idea what to expect his new(ish) life to be like.

When he was supposed to test into high school, he naturally got good marks, so he’d had a variety of schools to choose from. He was tempted to go to Yosen, which was stationed in Akita. They had exceptional dormitories, a good sports program, and it was relatively cheap. But Himuro’s father insisted on him staying in Tokyo, where he’d be working. So that was thrown out. But where to go instead?

It would have to be somewhere quiet, somewhere relatively off-the-radar, somewhere where he could make a name for himself. And that left him with one place: Seirin.

Imagine his surprise when he showed up for basketball tryouts and encountered none other than Kagami Taiga.

“T-Tatsuya?!” Kagami yelped, drawing a scene from the rest of the first- and second-years.

Himuro smiled despite the sudden chill in the gym.

“Well, well, Taiga, what a surprise to find you here.”

The sound of a whistle blowing ended whatever conflict may have started. At that point, the female coach who had taken his submission- Riko, was it?- stepped in, looking at the two with a calculating gaze.

“You two know each other?”

Kagami looked away.

“You could say that.”

“Well, if you have a problem with each other, set it aside,” Riko demanded, returning with a sly smile. “And both of you… take off your shirts.”

After some weird trial-by-examination where their coach ogled their shirtless bodies (and a few other comments,) Himuro left the gymnasium. He walked quickly, so as not to be seen-

“Tatsuya!”

He winced, but didn’t stop walking.

“Tatsuya, wait--”

“Save it, Taiga,” He said, turning around suddenly. Kagami looked desperate, but said nothing, so Himuro continued, “I still haven’t forgiven you for throwing the game back then. We still have to settle the score.”

Kagami flinched, but held his ground.

“There’s no more score to settle. We’re on the same team now.” Kagami hesitated, and added, “I know you’d never give up on basketball, even over… what happened. So we’re going to have to work together at some point.”

Himuro pointed an accusing finger towards Kagami. He rarely lost his cool, but with nobody there to remind him to stay in control, he felt himself growing angry.

“You know as well as I do that there has to be some way to figure it out,” He said in a miraculously calm voice, and gripped the chained ring around his neck. Then, more quietly, “There has to be.”

Kagami gripped his own ring, and silence fell between them. After a while, Himuro let go of his ring.

“As soon as I find a way, we’re going to see who’s the better half. And when we do, we’ll no longer be brothers. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”

Kagami frowned.

“I’ll make you see that we can still be competitors and keep what we had. And that’s a promise.”

The standoff between the two ended at Kagami’s bold statement. Himuro pursed his lips.

“I’ll be seeing you around.”

_I should have gone to Yosen._

* * *

The rest of Himuro’s week went just about as smoothly as the start of it.

There was a practice match between the second-years and the first-years. Himuro watched Kagami’s dunks with a sharp eye, reluctantly impressed with the way he had improved over their years of separation. But Himuro had improved more, and with the use of his unstoppable mirage shots, he had left Kagami wide-eyed and dazed (or so he liked to think.) It was nice to compete against Kagami once more, even if it wasn’t officially settling the score- no, if he was to beat Kagami, he’d have to find another, better way of doing so.

But at the end of the match, their teammates had commented-

_“If this is how they play separately, I can’t imagine how good they’ll be when they work together!”_

And that left a sour taste in his mouth, a conflict in his head, and an unknown ache in his heart.

The following day, Himuro had asked to be put in a match as soon as possible. Riko had given him a condition: He needed to appear on the roof the next morning before announcements. And when he showed up, only to see the rest of the new recruits, he realized that he might have been played.

“State your name and class,” Riko had boldly asserted, “And your goal for the team. Or else,” She added, “You’ll have to strip down and confess to your crush

Kagami was the first to jump at the opportunity.

“Kagami Taiga, Class One - C,and I’m gonna be the best basketball player in Japan.” A pause, and then, “I’m gonna lead our team to victory even if it kills me.”

Himuro couldn’t let Kagami one-up him before he even got his chance, so he stepped forward.

“Himuro Tatsuya, Class Two - B, and I’m going to break past my limits and surpass any challenge.”

He angled his body back to take a look at Kagami, who was shifting from foot to foot anxiously.

As the rest of his prospective teammates went up, Kagami took the chance to approach Himuro.

“Even if you don’t think of us as brothers anymore,” He said, “I hope you reach your goal.”

That surprised Himuro- enough that he hardly registered the sound of the principal scolding them for raising a ruckus when they got caught.

_Since when have you been so mature, Taiga?_

Finally, to put the cherry on top of the worst week ever, there was the iberian pork cutlet incident.

The other upperclassmen had given the new members a file of cash and told them that they needed to buy everyone some sort of “lucky sandwich”- or face the consequences.

(What was it with this crazy team and consequences?)

They had somehow managed to escape with the sandwiches in tow, but their delicious taste probably wasn’t quite worth the bruises that he and the underclassmen got. Even Himuro, who had managed to charm his way through the crowd, didn’t escape without some form of bodily harm. And later that evening, when he got home, the aches on his body made it clear that he was meant to suffer.

“How have you been adjusting to school so far?” His dad asked that evening.

“I’ll survive,” Himuro answered with a not-quite-fake sigh.

_At least, I hope I will._

* * *

Their first practice match was with Kaijou.

It wasn’t easy; Apparently they had scored someone from the “Generation of Miracles”, whatever that was, and the guy had crazy skills. The blonde was, despite his initial cheerfulness, a serious player, and his ability to copy nearly every move he saw was stunning. Himuro could feel the strain from such an intense game. And there was a problem that had been holding them back- namely, a “Himuro and Kagami problem.”

The team’s captain, Hyuuga, and coach Riko had convinced the rest of the team to gang up on them, preaching something about the necessity of teamwork and how they “needed to get their act together before the inter-high.” Even Koganei, who was usually cheerful, seemed bothered.

And then, at the end of the game, it happened.

Six seconds left, and Kagami had possession of the ball. Himuro had watched him jump and dunk so many times, it was almost like seeing him play back when they were younger. But Kagami was currently being guarded, with no openings to make a single step. With a one-point gap in Kaijou’s favor, there was no way Kagami could dunk, and no way they would win.

Until Kagami passed to him.

Kagami hardly ever passed.

But Himuro didn’t have time to dwell on it. Before Kaijou knew what hit them, Himuro took his shot. The ball flew neatly through the hoop, and milliseconds later, the alarm sounded, signaling the end of the game.

Somehow, through an insane buzzer-beater, Seirin had won.

Seirin cheered, and several of Himuro’s teammates surrounded him, shoving him playfully and whooping in the midst of an adrenaline-fueled victory. Himuro only half-registered what was going on; He was far more focused on what had just happened. Hesitantly, he turned his gaze towards Kagami, who was currently being scolded by Hyuuga because _how could you let yourself get stuck so easily, don’t you know how to do anything other than dunking?_ And yet, even though Kagami was being chastised, he still grinned. He looked to the side, and for a split second, made eye contact with Himuro.

Kagami looked happier than Himuro had seen since… well, since before they had gotten into that fateful argument.

But Kagami’s smile slowly faded, and he turned his attention back to Hyuuga. Himuro wasn’t sure what expression he had made to dampen Kagami’s good mood so instantaneously, but whatever it was, the others didn’t seem to notice as they moved away from Himuro to chatter amongst themselves.

Something unknown tightened in his chest.

(And when the team went out for suspiciously-free steak, Himuro was sure the heartburn wasn’t nearly as bad.)

* * *

The strange feeling mostly disappeared when the inter-high started. Mostly.

Their game against Shinkyo academy was easier than expected; Even with the height difference of their star player, Seirin’s skill put them ahead. Somehow, it seemed like the cogs were starting to fit together. Of course, there were still some… kinks in the machine. Himuro worked well with his fellow second-years, and Kagami worked well with his fellow first years, but yet they still didn’t work well together. Not to say that they didn’t cooperate (though more out of necessity than desire,) and their dynamic was better now than it had been before. However, their conflict didn’t escape everyone else’s notice. It had gotten to the point where Riko had threatened to lock them in a closet together so they’d be forced to reconcile their issues- something that neither of them would handle well.

Their game against Shuutoku brought about an unexpected change.

They had won their game against Seiho, of course, able to advance to the next game with the help of Hyuuga, Izuki, and the other second-years. It was, as with the Kaijou game, incredibly close, and Tatsuya wondered if he’d be able to keep up with Shuutoku given their team’s predicament. So he let himself rest and recover until he had the power to stop them and whatever Miracle guy they had acquired as well. That exact miracle guy happened to be a weirdo with green hair and fingers that were, until the start of the game, covered in tape. And his three pointers were _insane._

Everyone on the team appeared to struggle just to keep up. And it seemed like their coffin had its last nail, when a miracle of their own happened: Kagami was able to block the miracle’s shots. Jumping higher, almost soaring through the air, determined to continue… even when it became apparent that he was exhausting himself.

Himuro frowned at the sight as they took a time-out. Kagami was sweating heavily, and his legs looked tense. According to Riko, he looked like he only had two more jumps in him.

Those jumps, as it happened, were what led them to victory. But at the price of Kagami’s health, Himuro began to wonder if it was worth it. As much of a sadist as people thought he was, he didn’t like seeing his teammates injure themselves, and Kagami was no exception. Himuro grimaced as Kagami struggled while walking back to the bus, only relaxing until they arrived at the okonomiyaki restaurant. Himuro stayed behind as the others left the bus, waiting on Kagami to move. And when Kagami finally got off the bus as well, Himuro stopped him.

“Taiga.”

Kagami looked at Himuro, something unreadable in his expression.

“You were…” Himuro started, and stopped, trying to force the words out of his mouth. “You were good today.”

Kagami looked shocked. Himuro didn’t blame him, considering they had been at odds with each other since the beginning of the year. They stood outside like that, assessing the situation and each other, until a rumble from above shook them out of their thoughts. The already-overcast sky looked as though it would be pouring at any second. So Himuro motioned for Kagami to follow him inside.

After a “wacky encounter” with some of Kaijou’s players, and subsequently, Shuutoku’s stars, Himuro and Kagami were faced with Midorima and Kise.

“So!” Kise started, looking at the two of them, “I’m looking forward to competing against you two at the finals.”

“You say that as if it’s sure that they’ll advance,” Midorima said, with no small amount of salt.

“Calm down, Midorimacchi. Just because you lost--”

“Don’t look down on me like that, idiot!”

Kagami and Himuro shared a look.

_I can’t believe we played against these guys._

Whatever Kise and Midorima were arguing about stopped. Midorima pointed an accusing finger at Kagami.

“You had better watch yourself. You’ll need your freakish jumps for your next opponent, especially if you plan on competing against Touou.” He turned to Himuro then, and said, “And you can’t rely on fancy trick shots. Sooner or later, someone will see through them.”

“Midorimacchi,” Kise pouted, “You haven’t seen them when they play together.”

“And you have?” Midorima questioned, like Kagami and Himuro weren’t even in the room.

“Well…” Kise said sheepishly, “I haven’t seen it completely… but when Kagamicchi passed to Himurocchi during our practice game, it was like magic happened.”

The strange feeling in Himuro’s chest returned tenfold.

* * *

Even though Kagami had been barred from practice until his legs fully healed, Himuro knew that he was itching to play. Which is why it came as no surprise when he found out Kagami had played against another miracle, and consequently lost. The rage he felt when he found out was unsurprising, though he reigned it in until he and Kagami had a moment alone outside of school grounds.

“What were you thinking?! You could have injured yourself even more, and then where would we be?” He interrogated, grabbing Kagami by the shirt.

Kagami narrowed his eyes.

“I can’t stay away from basketball, Tatsuya. Do you have any idea how bad it feels to me? I already learned a lesson when he beat my ass into the ground,” He defended, and Himuro pushed at him.

“You could have jeopardized everything! I can’t believe you think your pride is worth more than your senses.”

“And you wouldn’t know what that’s like?” Kagami shot back. “You were the one who let your pride strain our friendship. How about you practice what you preach for once?”

Himuro saw red- both in anger, and immediately after he had punched Kagami in the face, making his nose bleed. But when Himuro’s vision cleared and he saw the devastated expression on Kagami’s face, he felt all of his rage transform into gut-wrenching guilt.

“Taiga-”

“Don’t. Don’t say anything,” Kagami said, his voice turning hopeless. “I thought… I thought that maybe for a second, we were getting better. But I guess I was wrong.”

He walked away.

Himuro let him.

* * *

When Himuro got home that day, instead of saying hello to his father, he walked straight to his bed, and took some time to think.

He started to sort out his thoughts piece by piece.

First: Where did he go wrong?

The answer to that was much more clear than he would have wanted. Kagami’s words echoed in his head. Somewhere along the line, back in the States, back when Kagami had started blooming from clueless kid to basketball prodigy, Himuro had become envious of his skill. And even though the line between admiration and abhorrence was blurred, Himuro knew enough that he had majorly fucked up. Both his and Kagami’s emotions must have been stunted.

Second: How did Kagami feel?

Himuro hated that he knew the answer to that as well. When he looked back on their interactions ever since he had joined Seirin, Kagami had been hopeful that they could repair their shattered bond. He had tried to interact with him, he had tried teamwork, he had tried to communicate, and Himuro had kept shutting him down. Kagami must have felt desolation worse than Himuro wanted to imagine. So, he had ruined things. Again.

Third: How did he feel? 

Like an ass.

Fourth: What could he do to reconcile?

That was much more difficult to answer. He could apologize, sure, and hope that Kagami forgave him. But it wouldn’t be that simple, or easy. Himuro had to prove that he wanted Kagami back, that he wanted to re-forge their relationship (of sorts) and if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to live it down.

He’d need some help.

* * *

“I guess you came to the right people,” Hyuuga said, leaning back against his chair. There were still seven minutes until class began, and Hyuuga and Izuki had graciously offered their help. Himuro just hoped it would work.

“First of all,” Izuki began, “You need to let him know that you’ve realized your mistakes. If he knows that you acknowledge them, he’ll know you’re trying to fix them.”

“But how do I do that?” Himuro asked.

“Just talk to him,” Izuki shrugged. “Communication is key.”

“Nah, they’d need to incorporate basketball into it somehow,” Hyuuga said, somewhat amused. “Kagami’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, so he’d be better off if he had something to help him work through it.”

“Why don’t you challenge him to a one-on-one?” Izuki offered, and Himuro grimaced.

“Do you really think he’d agree?”

Izuki hummed.

“If there’s a chance of being able to rebuild, then I’m sure he will.” As an afterthought, he added, “Though if that doesn’t work, I think Riko’s offer of locking you into a closet--”

“No no no, that should work.”

And so, on one bright Thursday afternoon, after a rare day without practice, Himuro fished his phone out of his pocket and looked through the contact he had been helpfully given by Riko.

_Meet me @ streetball court by the park at 5. Promise it’ll be worth it.  
-H_

Himuro was almost worried that Kagami wouldn’t show up after the clock had marked a quarter past five, when he heard the familiar voice.

“What did you call me here for?”

Even though Kagami sounded distant, Himuro sighed with relief.

“Let’s play.”

Kagami flinched.

“I can’t, remember? No practice, especially after I got trounced by Aomine.”

Himuro frowned, and tossed Kagami the ball.

“Then we’ll take turns shooting hoops. Will you let me?”

Kagami deliberated on the thought for a few seconds, before nodding.

“Yeah.”

They took their time, passing the ball back and forth and trying to score a point at a distance. It wasn’t quite the same, watching Kagami play without dunking. He grimaced, and sent the ball through the hoop with a clean ‘swish’.

“I was a jerk. For a long time.”

Kagami snorted.

“Yeah, you were.”

Toss.

“I shouldn’t have let my ego get in the way of what we had.”

Swish.

“But you did anyway.”

“And I don’t think I’ll ever fully forgive myself for that.”

Toss.

“But if you’ll have me, I want to try again.”

Swish.

“I don’t want my trust to be broken again, Tatsuya,”

Silence.

Himuro gripped the chain around his neck, and removed it.

“If you really want me gone, I’ll throw this away. We can be strangers again, just playing on the same team. Nothing more.”

Kagami watched as he held out the chain, dangling from his fingers, and made a decision.

“I want you to stay.”

* * *

The game against Touou was a crushing loss. With Kagami incapacitated at the end, forced to sit back as he watched the rest of his teammates struggle like fish on a reel, Himuro felt the desperation and the bitter taste of defeat once again. The rest of Seirin was downtrodden; Izuki made no puns on the way back to campus, Furihata had no encouraging words to speak, and even Riko looked as though she might cry. Himuro didn’t even want to see what kind of mental state Kagami was in. And yet, when they returned to Seirin, Kagami surprised him even more.

As they left the bus and were prepared to go to their respective homes, Himuro found himself staying behind, watching the campus gates with empty eyes. He shouldn’t have been surprised when Kagami approached him, but he still startled anyway.

“Tatsuya…” He started, then stopped.

Himuro looked at him, feeling a lump in his throat at Kagami’s hopeless expression.

“I… I wanted us to win. I really did.”

Before he knew what was happening, Himuro had pulled Kagami into a tight hug. He would later deny the fact that he himself had started shaking, wracked with emotions too dangerous to unleash just yet. They stayed in their embrace for several long seconds, until Kagami pulled away. Himuro watched him, and in what he hoped was a reassuring voice, said,

“We’ll win next time. We’ll show them.” He waited, and added, “Both of us will.”

Kagami’s eyes widened, as though he was seeing Himuro in a new light.

“Y-yeah.”

Himuro let go, stepping back from Kagami and turning around. He didn’t even see the slack-jawed expression that Kagami adapted.

“See you tomorrow, Taiga.”

* * *

The next few weeks were… weird. In multiple ways.

For starters, the whole team was in a funk. It wasn’t just Kagami and Himuro who were having troubles- everyone was out of alignment, and the consequences were evident; They lost the rest of their qualifying games, meaning they were out of the inter-high. Himuro wasn’t sure what all had happened, but something weird was going on, and he didn’t like it.

Not to mention that Kagami had been acting odd around him as well. When Himuro would try to talk, Kagami avoided his gaze and stammered. Sometimes, he would answer with short responses as his face grew more red. Sometimes he would duck away, as though he was trying to avoid something (or, perhaps, someone.) And there were the times during practice where Kagami would look at Himuro with this strange expression, one filled with an emotion that Himuro couldn’t place. The behavior wasn’t like Kagami at all.

Himuro was starting to get worried.

One day, he saw Kagami talking frantically to Riko, though he was too far away to hear what about. Riko’s expression was stern, while Kagami’s was almost frantic. Himuro decided to approach them.

“...like I’ll explode! How do you manage it?!”

“Be a man, Bakagami!”

“What’s going on?”

Riko and Kagami both looked at Himuro like deers caught in headlights. Riko was the first one to snap out of it, and she looked at Kagami expectantly.

“Go on. Tell him.”

Kagami opened his mouth, and shut it.

“Nothing important,” He said, and Himuro frowned in response.

“Is anyone going to tell me what’s happening?” Himuro questioned.

Riko frowned, and pinched the bridge of her nose, but said nothing.

Apparently not.

* * *

The next day, everything came to a close.

It had been a day of grueling practice- Riko was working everyone like dogs to make up for their slacking off. Oddly enough, the rest of the second-years didn’t seem to mind. They were almost… anticipating something? Something about a heart made of iron, Himuro thought he heard. That left him with more questions than answers, but he didn’t have the chance to ask about it, as almost everyone had left the locker room already. Himuro had just finished showering, and was putting his clothes back on when he heard someone approaching him.

“Tatsuya, we’re almost done here, are you--?”

Himuro glanced back, and once again, was greeted by the sight of a blushing Kagami. Himuro put on a teasing smile.

“Like what you see?” He joked.

“Maybe I do,” Kagami said offhandedly, and then froze.

The locker room was silent.

“Say again? Himuro prompted, puzzled.

“Nothing!” Kagami said.

Something clicked into place in Himuro’s head.

_...Well then._

Himuro looked at Kagami, who had apparently made the decision that there was no point in running away. Then again, it wasn’t like Himuro wouldn’t be able to catch him. Within the span of several seconds, Himuro realized several things:

1\. Kagami had at some point, somehow, developed a crush on him.

2\. Kagami had been trying to hide it for the sake of their friendship.

3\. Himuro wasn’t grossed out by the previous two facts.

Kagami frowned.

“I know, you’re probably disgusted with me.”

“I’m not.”

“I don’t blame you if--” Kagami started, stopped, and shook his head so hard that Himuro thought he might get whiplash. “...You aren’t?”

Himuro smiled.

“It’s not the first time someone’s had a crush on me, Taiga. I had a million confessions from girls and boys alike when I was still in America,” He said good-naturedly, approaching Kagami in what he hoped was a calming manner.

Kagami looked a bit put-off from hearing that, and Himuro realized he had made a misstep. Much like before, he tried to fix it.

“I don’t mind it. I can’t say I’m not surprised, but if there’s anyone who I’d prefer to have a crush on me, it would be you.”

“Wait, does that mean that…” Kagai trailed off, and shuffled his feet in a rare display of anxiety.

Himuro thought.

And thought.

And thought some more.

“I’m not sure,” He said honestly. “I’ve never really taken the time to think of you in that way.”

“But that’s not a no, is it?” Kagami asked, barely-restrained hope in his voice.

Himuro stepped towards Kagami.

“Close your eyes.”

Kagami complied, though Himuro could practically feel the anticipation radiating off of him.

_Cute._

With that last thought, Himuro leaned in and kissed Kagami on the cheek. For a moment, he was glad that his fringe hid a good half of his face- it was easier to mask the heat that was slowly creeping into it. When he pulled away, Kagami had opened his eyes, and was wearing a mixture of relief and happiness. It was a much nicer expression than the one he had worn only two months ago. Himuro found himself mirroring it.

“Give me time. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Promise?” Kagami asked.

“Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at doomedtemperament.tumblr.com or on twitter @doomtemp !


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